Tell us a little about yourself. What does your job at Telefónica involve?
Facilitating the day-to-day running of the commercial area, carrying out marketing and communication activities, both internally and externally.
I work in the Marketing and Communication management of GG.CC. I am part of very different projects, such as: internal communication, LinkedIn Sales Navigator project, sponsorships and the training plan for GG.CC. sales representatives. With these initiatives we help sales representatives to achieve their objectives, keeping them up to date, both with what is happening in the company and with any information that may be relevant to the current market. I also help provide them with the tools and knowledge that help create sales opportunities.
How important are marketing and communication in the large company sector?
It is not possible to obtain optimal results in the commercial area if the company’s strategy has not been communicated correctly so that it is understood by each of the people who form part of the company and, of course, without planning and continuous monitoring that shows us how we are doing and helps us in future decision-making. And these results can be more successful if the portfolio of products and services is innovative, as this facilitates the arguments for the proposals of the sales representatives who, in short, are the ones who have the direct relationship with the customers.
That is why it is important to have an internal communication channel that provides sales representatives with all the information about the continuous innovation that is taking place at the product marketing level and continuous training so that they are up to date and can create new sales opportunities.
What role do new technologies play in the world of marketing and communication in the large company sector?
New technologies have revolutionised and continue to impact both consumer behaviour and the way in which companies advertise, communicate and contact their target audience.
They allow us to have much more information about our customers, which helps us to personalise our proposals and to create ad-hoc solutions that cover the needs they may have, accompanying them in the digitalisation of their business and adapting them to this technological era in which we find ourselves.
New automation tools allow us to carry out more efficient marketing campaigns, saving time and resources. In addition to being able to anticipate customer needs with the help of AI predictive analytics or deep learning, the customer experience is improved as communication can be more continuous, available and personalised.
New technologies make it easier to put the customer at the centre of the business. This not only improves competitiveness, but also guarantees the trust of our customers.
Why is digital transformation so important for companies?
As the saying goes: ‘Change is in the adaptation’. We currently live in a VUCA environment. In other words, we are in a complex, volatile, unpredictable and ambiguous context in which events occur that are described in some environments as ‘black swans’, which force us to adapt in order to survive.
Digital transformation helps companies to be more agile and to adapt more quickly to change, minimising the negative impact. This helps in decision-making with digital tools that facilitate the collection of data and analysis in real time. In addition, this digitalisation is key to process automation and systems integration, improving operational efficiency and competitiveness.
Digitisation provides companies with technological tools that enable them to adapt to any unexpected situation. The ability to respond quickly and to innovate constantly are essential for survival and prosperity in such a changing world.
Are there differences in the digital transformation for large companies or for SMEs?
All companies can benefit from digitisation and improve their competitiveness in the market, although there are some significant differences in the digital evolution of the two segments. In a large company, resources and financial capacity are greater, so they can deploy more complex solutions. In addition, they tend to have teams of technicians dedicated to innovation and technology, which facilitates the management of these digitisation projects, which tend to encompass more advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, etc.
SMEs must adapt and move forward more gradually.
Who are the people working at Telefónica that you would nominate for this interview that you consider to be excellent in their work?
My colleagues on the cross-disciplinary training project for key account sales representatives. Marta Díez Rodríguez, from the People department, because she has the ability to lead projects, working side by side with her team and valuing each of the tasks carried out by each of the members of her group, and María Isabel Rubiera Acebal from Product Marketing, because of her ability to coordinate the relationship between different areas, but always prioritising the company’s business, even if this makes her task more complex.
